Vegas in a production Class

[tayproductions]

Has anyone taken a production class in high school and used Vegas instead of FCP? I am in the process of building a program and have used Vegas for years. I have recently started learning FCP because it is the "industry standard." I must say that I am less than impressed. The program has a steep learning curve and is not very intuitive.

Since time is limited in class, my though was to possibly use Vegas instead of FCP because of the ease of use. On the flip side, if FCP is the first thing they use, it may not be an issue.

Just looking for some guidance...

 

[Alex H.]

I have recently started learning FCP because it is the "industry standard."

Don't get me wrong... I'm a Final Cut user and I love what Final Cut Studio has to offer, but it is far from the industry standard.

While you'll find FCP in all sorts of production houses, large and small, AVID is still considered the standard. This doesn't mean that FCP isn't used for even mainstream features, just that it has not replaced AVID as the benchmark.

Use whatever you like. It's the principles of editing that matter. Software is just about details. It's high school, so likely the majority of teh class won't move on to do this professionally, but if you really want them to be ready to work out of school you'll be better off teaching either FCP or AVID.

 

[milksac]

I must say that I am less than impressed. The program has a steep learning curve and is not very intuitive.

Is this a blow off class or do you intend on working in the post industry?
If you're intimidated by FCP then you should look for other means of making a living. You might be more inclined to work in grip and electric. That is if you don't electrocute yourself because the gear is too complicated.

 

[tayproductions]

Is this a blow off class or do you intend on working in the post industry?
If you're intimidated by FCP then you should look for other means of making a living. You might be more inclined to work in grip and electric. That is if you don't electrocute yourself because the gear is too complicated.

Oh look everyone, we have an aspiring comedian here on DVXUser....Don't quit your day job!

 

[Scott F]

Is this a blow off class or do you intend on working in the post industry?
If you're intimidated by FCP then you should look for other means of making a living. You might be more inclined to work in grip and electric. That is if you don't electrocute yourself because the gear is too complicated.

 

[HorseFilms]

I see nothing wrong with using Vegas to teach editing. It's a really solid program. That's how I learned (not that you should take that as an endorsement).

 

[mikkowilson]

It has an assets bin, a timeline, a monitor and audio meters? If so, then it's appropriate for teaching general High School video production.

Sure, if you are teaching the specific tool (Is the class called "Final Cut Pro Video Editing"?), then you'll need the right tools. But if you are teaching the process, then you can go a long long long way before you ever get to limitations in the software.

I teach some practical steps with the software projected on the to screen to show how to capture, or adjust audio levels, export settings -- stuff like that. But actually teaching "editing" I do with timelines drawn out on the whiteboard and by showing videos (and pausing to discuss, etc...).

Vegas or FCP doesn't matter.


I had one of my students ask me yesterday: "do you use Final Cut at the TV station where you work?". After I answered "nope, we use Adobe Premiere.", the student followed up with "Then how do you know how to work in Final Cut so well?". I simply stated what I said above; that the software you use is trivial; and with a little practice, you can familiarize yourself to work with any appropriate tool if you know how to do the job.

- Mikko